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SOME DESCENDANTS 



OF 






DIGORY SARGENT. 



BY 



HENRY ERNEST WOODS, A.M. 



• » J r 1 , , > > , 



BOSTON: 
NEW-ENGLAND HISTORIC GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY, 

1904. 



l"/^'-' 



Reprinted ^om New-England Historical and Genealogical Register, 

for October, 1904. 



A I n 1 J. ,p. 



'?,--i. 



SOME DESCENDANTS OF DIGORY SARGENT 
OF BOSTON AND WORCESTER, MASS.* 



1. DiGORY^ Sargent — the siu-iiame being variously spelled in the family, 
but for uniformity in this article the jjresent form will be used — was the an- 
cestor of many of the name in south-eastern Vermont, and first appears on 
records as a soldier in King Philip's war, in the rolls of Boston men under 
Capt. Daniel Henchman at Mendon, in Nov., 1675, under Capt. William 
Turner at the same place, in Mar., 1675-6, and under Lieut. Nathaniel 
Reynolds at Chelmsford, in June, 1676 (Bodge's King Philip's War, pp. 
55, 240, 279). His ancestry is unknown. 

On 11 Nov., 1678, he took the oath of allegiance in Boston (Boston 
Rec. Com. E-ept., xxix., 168), where he seems to have been a householder 
in 1680, when, 27 Apr. of that year, " Sam". Hobbs Brick layer at Dickery 
Serg"^." appears among the " Seuerall psons * * * not admitted nor aproned 
of by y** selectmen of Boston to be Inhabitants of ye Towne " (Rec. Com. 
Rept., X., 58, in which his name is misprinted Vickery, see the original re- 
cord). His name appears in "A list of Persons belonging to the South Com- 
pany of Boston liable to Watch themselves, or by their money to procure 
Watchmen; as they were marshalled * * Ocf^ 13. 1679" (5 Mass. Hist. 
Soc. Coll., vol. v., p. 53). In 1685, or soon after, he removed to Wor- 
cester, in the second attempt at settling that place ; but whether or not he 
had a wife at that time does not appear. 

On 13 Oct., 1693, Digory Sargent of Worcester, and Constance James 
of Boston, were married in Boston by Rev. Cotton Mather ; but when he 
made his will (Middlesex Co. Probate, vol. 12, pp. 243-4, printed in Lin- 
coln's History of Worcester, Mass., p. 38), dated 17 Mar., 1696, it would 
seem that she was dead, for in it he only made provision for his daughter 
Martha, and in the event of her death the estate was to go to George Par- 
menter of Sudbury, and no wife was mentioned. That he married again, 

in 1696, Mary , is shown by subsequent events. She is said to have 

been a sister of George Parmenter, but the statement cannot be proved. 

He seems to have persisted in living upon his farm in Worcester when 
all others had abandoned the settlement on account of Indian hostilities, and 
there he was killed in an Indian attack, in the winter of 1703-4, and his 
wife and five children taken captive, before a party of soldiers, sent to re- 
move him and his family to a place of safety, could reach them. In a 
Roll of English prisoners in the hands of the French and Indians at Canada 
in 1710, the names of the mother, Mary, and five children [for James read 
Daniel] appear (Mass. Archives, Ixxi., 765) ; but the petition of the son 
John for a grant of land, dated 29 Nov., 1738 (Mass. Arciiives, Ixxii., 
470), states that the mother and a son were killed at the same time with 
the father, in 1704. 

Administration of the estate of Digory Sargent was granted 25 Sept., 
1707, to George Parmenter of Sudbury (Middlesex Co. Probate, vol. 12, 

* These notes are published in the hope that they may lead to the compiling of a more 
complete genealogy of this interesting family. 



pp. 242-3) ; and 6 Mar., 1720-1, in a letter appointing George Parmenter 
of Su(ll)ur}^j Jonas Rice of Worcester, and James Taylor of Worcester, a 
comniittee to divide the estate into six equal ])arts, it relates that " Digery 
Sergeant * * * dyed intestate * * his lands a sixty acre lot in sd town of 
Woolter, & since then has two dividends, one of 150 acres has been laid out 
in right of sd deed, & yet there are considerable niidivided * * lands in sd 
township * * * the sd deed left five children now surviving, viz John 
(oldest son) David Thomas IMartha & Mnry and that the sd Daniel and 
Mary are still at Canada * * whither they were carryed captive by the 
Indians & now are living among the ifrench, & * * the sd John Thomas 
and Martha (now the wife of Daniel Shattuck) have pi*ayed that the sd 
lands may be settled among them * * * allowing John double the choise, 
and after him Thomas & tlien the sd daughter Martha, & so let the other 
two lots ligh for Daniel & Mary." Under the same date, 6 Mar., 1720-1, 
" Jonas llice that day took upon himself the Guardianship of Thomas a 
minor in his twentieth year of age a son of the late Diggery Serjeant late 
of Worcester * * dec'd (killed by the Indians)." In an account of George 
Parmenter, administrator, dated 11 Apr., 1715, appears the statement: 
" Children Martha & Thomas at Boston — at Canada dn°. Daniel & Mary." 
As the will of Digory Sargent mentions "a sermon book that is at Mrs. 
Mary Mason's,* widow, at Boston," and as the inventory of the estate in- 
cluded " books," he was evidently a man of education. 
Child by wife Constance : 

2. i. Mautha,* b. about IG'Jl; m. C Apr., 1719, Capt. Daniel Shattuck; c1. 

ill 1722. 

Children by wife Mary : 

3. ii. Lieut. John,, b. about 169G-7 ; ra. 4 July, 1727, Abigail Jones; d. 29 

Mar., 1748. 
iii. Daniel, b. about 1698; cl. unmarried, in Canada, before Aug., 1728 
(Worcester Co. Deeds, vol. 9, p. 354 ; see accouut under Thomas, 4). 
iv. Mary, b. about 1700; living in Canada, in Aug., 1728 (Worcester 

Co. Deeds, vol. 9, p. 354 ; see accouut under Thomas, 4) ; no 

further record found of her. 

4. V. Thomas, b. about 1701-2; no record found of him after Aug., 1728. 
vi. A SON, b. about 1703; killed by the Indians in 1704. 

2. Martha^ Sargent {Digory^), born about 1694, was taken captive 
by the Indians at Worcester in 1704, and carried to Canada. She 
was released after seven years, when aged about sixteen, and mar- 
ried in Marlborough, 6 Apr., 1719, as his first wife, Capt. DanieP 
Shattuck (William,-* John,^ William,^ William^), born in 1692, died 
17 Mar., 1760 (Shattuck Memorials, pp. 96-98). She died in Wor- 
cester, in 1722 ; and he married second, 7 May, 1724, Rebecca, born 
1 Aug., 1691, died 16 Mar., 1757, daughter of Sergt. Samuel and 
Sarah (Lewis) Boltwood of Hadley, by whom he had four children, 
born in Northfield, where he died. 
Child : 

i. Sarah Shattuck, b. about 1720 ; d. Nov., 17G1, in Upton ; m. 24 May, 
1744, in Westborough, as his first wife, Elijah' Rice (Charles," 
Thomas,^ Thomas,^ Edmund^) of Westborough, b. 26 June, 1719,' 

* Samuel Mason and Mary Ilolemiin, "daughter of the late John Holeman of Dor- 
chester, deceased," were married in Boston, 29 May, 1G62, by John Endecott, Governor 
(iJostoii Rcc. Com. Kept., No. 9, p. 8G). In 1679, Samuel Mason was in the same divi- 
sion with Digory Sargent in the "South Company of IJoston liable to watch " (5 Mass. 
Hist. Soc. Coll., vol. v., p. 53). He died 20 Sept., 1691. 



who removed to Upton, and later to Hemiiker, N. H., where he d. 
19 Apr., 1785. They had five children (Rice Family, pp. 109-10; 
and Shattuck Memorials, p. 386) . 

Lieut. John^ Sargent {Digory^), born about 1696-7, was taken cap- 
tive by the Indians at Worcester in 1704, carried to Canada, and re- 
leased about 1716. He became a scout and interpreter in the ser- 
vice of the Province of Massachusetts ; was in garrison, under Lieut. 
Joseph Kellogg, at Northfield, Mass., in 1721, and there as centinel 
under Capt. Samuel Bernard in 1722 ; a corporal under Capt. Joseph 
Kellogg, 1723-4, and sergeant, 1730; Lieutenant under Capt. 
Kellogg, 1738-45, and at Fort Dummer, under Capt. Josiah Willard, 
1747-8 (Mass. Archives; and History of Northfield, pp. 157, 192, 
197, 208, 217, 256, 532). 

On 29 Nov., 1738, he petitioned the General Court (Mass. Ar- 
chives, Ixxii., 470 ; and History of Northfield, p. 257) for a grant of 
land on account of services, setting forth therein the killing of his 
father, mother and brother by the Indians at Worcester in 1704, 
and the captivity of the five brothers and sisters. Two hundred acres 
above Northfield, in the vicinity of Fort Dummer (now Brattleboro', 
Vt.), were granted him ; in addition to which he had previously ac- 
quired by purchase, 7 May, 1733, from Josiah Willard and Edward 
Hartwell, both of Lunenburg, for £100, a "i tract of land being on 
the westerly side of Connecticut River below Fort Dummer, con- 
taining by estimation 161 acres," and by further purchase, 1 Oct., 
1733, from Josiah Willard, of Lunenburg, the remaining "da tract 
of land," in the same locality and "containing in the whole 161 
acres, being a part of a Grant made to the proprietors of Lunen- 
burg Oct. 1 1731 by the General Court" (Worcester Co. Deeds, 
vol. G, pp. 258, 261), besides a purchase, 19 Sept., 1734, from 
Stephen Belding of Northfield, for £40, three tracts of land in the 
township of Northfield (Worcester Co. Deeds, vol. H, p. 100). 

He married, 4 July, 1727, Abigail, born 4 Dec, 1702, daughter of 
Ebeuezer^ (Griffith^) and Mercy (Bagg) Jones of Springfield, Mass. 

According to the account published in vai'ious histories, he was 
in command of a scouting party out from Fort Dummer on 29 
Mar., 1748, when they were ambushed by a band of Indians, and he 
and two others killed and scalped, and his son Daniel taken captive ; 
but the following from an article communicated to the Vermont Phoe- 
nix, 26 June, 1885, by David Lufkin Mansfield, Esq., the historian, 
of Dummerston, Vt., to whom the writer is indebted for much ma- 
terial concerning the descendants of Lieut. John Sargent, gives a 
somewhat different account : 

' ' The scalp of Lieutenant Sargent, taken off by the Indian who killed 
him, was iu the possession of the family and descendants for nearly 80 
years. Rufus, his sou, who died iu 1826, kept it during his life. Ophelia 
and Filura, daughters of Justiu Sargent and granddaughters of Rufus, 
now [1885] living, who have seeu the scalp, describe it as having light 
brown hair, and iu size as large as a silver dollar. The particulars of 
Lieutenant Sargent's death, as related by his descendants, are diflereut 
from those given in history. * * * The other version, as related to the 
writer by the granddaughters of Rufus Sargent, is that Lieutenant Sar- 
gent was out hunting and the Indian who shot him had mistaken him for 
some wild animal, as he Avore fur clothing and had hidden in the bushes 
on seeing the Indians approach the fort. As the Indian was watching 





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vi. 



to do mischief, he scalped his man, but at the same instant recognized in 
him a person whom lie had seen before and who promised him that he 
should always be friendly to tlie Indians. He expressed much sorrow for 
the deed he had done, and returned Lieutenant Sargent's scalp to his 
friends. Horatio Sargent, a resident in Massachusetts, borrowed, many 
years ago, several valuable papers and keepsakes that belonged to Rufus 
Sargent, with the intention of writing a history of the Sargent family. 
He died very suddenly before commencing the work, and the papers and 
valuables, including the scalp, have never been returned." 

lu the petition of the son Daniel for pay during his captivity, he 
states that liis father was "slain in fight." (Mass. Archives, Ixxiii., 
583-4.) 

The date of death of the widow Abigail has not been found. She 
was living in 17 Go, when she deeded land (History of Northfield, 
p. 257). 

Children : 

5. i. Daniel,* b. 25 May, 1728, at Northfleld; taken captive by Indians, 

29 Mar., 1748, and carried to Canada; m. 20 July, 1751, Dinah 

Jones; d. after 1784. 
Abigail, b. 26 Jan., 1729-30, at Northfleld; d. in 1736. 
Col. John, b. 4 Dec, 1732, at Fort Dummer ; m. 16 Dec, 1760, Mary 

Kathan; d. 30 July, 1798. 
Lieut. Thomas, b. 23 Feb., 1734-5, at Fort Dummer; m. 17 May, 

1757, Anna Stebbins; d. 19 Apr., 1783. 
Abigail, b. 10 Sept., 1737, at Fort Dummer; m. 12 Oct., 1758, Levi 

Ely; d. 3 Oct., 1812. 
Rufus, b. 15 June, 1750, at Fort Dummer; m. in 1775, Susannah 

Houghton; d. 23 Nov., 1826. 
vii. Mary, b. 25 Oct., 1742, at Fort Dummer ; m. Robinson, of 

Bennington, Vt. 

Thomas^ Sargent {Digory^), born about 1701-2, was taken captive 
by the Indians at Worcester in 1704, and carried to Canada, but 
was released, and in Boston in Apr., 1715. On 6 Mar., 1720-1, 
Jonas Rice, of Worcester, was appointed his guardian, he being "a 
minor in his twentieth year of age" (Middlesex Co. Probate, No. 
14158). In 1722 he was centinel in the command of Capt. Samuel 
Bernard; was centinel in 1723-4, in garrison at Northfield, Mass., 
with his brother John, in Capt. Joseph Kellogg's company, he then 
called "of Northampton " ; and in the autumn of that year was in 
scouting parties out from Northfield (Mass. Archives; and History 
of Northfield, pp. 197, 208). He is recorded in service until 1726. 
On 3 Aug., 1728, Thomas Sargent of Northfield, husbandman, 
deeded to William Williams of Weston, clerk, " all right, title or 
interest in lands belonging to my brother Daniel Sargent late de- 
ceased in Canada, which estate descended to him as his part of 
inheritance of our late father Dickery Sargent of Worcester," 
being part of a lot in the south part of Worcester, containing one 
hundred and fifty acres, and " one-half of a thirty-four acre right 
(so called) "in the north part of the said town [now Holden], 
"which lands or estate is one fourth or quarter part thereof * * 
(the other parts my surviving brother and sister)" (Worcester 
Co. Deeds, vol. 9, p'. 354). The surviving brother and sister were 
John and Mary ; and the remaining quarter part was deeded 28 
Mar., 1744, to Benjamin Flagg of Worcester, by Sarah Shattuck of 
Westborough, singlewoman, as the only child of the sister Martha, 
from whom she inherited it (Worcester Co. Deeds, vol. 18, p. 230). 



Nothing has been found of Thomas in Worcester Co., Hamp- 
shii'e Co., or Northfield, Mass., records after the deed of 1728, but it 
is hoped that further trace of "him may yet be discovered. 

5. Daniel" Sargent [Lieut. John,^ Digory^) was born 25 May, 1728, 

at Northfield, Mass. He was taken captive by the Indians, 29 
Mar., 1748, at the time history states that his father was killed on 
a scouting party, of which he was one, out from Fort Dummer. 
The Journal of Sergt. John Hawks of Deerfield relates, under date 
of "Apr. 25 [1748], traveled about 2 m. S-east & then So. till we 
come to the crotch of the river where is their common road from 
C. Point to No. 4 and other places. They had informed us that 
there were but 12 Inds out on our frontier, & when we were come 
to this path they found the signs of them returning with one cap- 
tive. [Doubtless Sieur Bouut with 3 French and 13 Indians, who 
reached Montreal April 17 with Daniel Sargent, taken near Fort 
Dummer, March 29. Other parties were out in other directions, 
but the scene of operations for every party was fixed at Montreal. 
Bount was sent out Feb. 24.] " (History of Deerfield, vol. 2, p. 558.) 

Daniel was not long in captivity, as shown by his services from 
June, 1749, to 1752, as centinel under Capt. Josiah Willard at Fort' 
Dummer (Mass. Archives), and his petition to the General Court, 
dated 23 Nov., 1749, for jmy while in Canada, and the loss of his 
gun (Mass. Archives, Ixxiii., 583-4). 

He married, 20 July, 1751, Dinah, born 21 Feb., 1729-30, daugh- 
ter of Benjamin' (Ebenezer,^ Griffith^) and Mary (Soley) Jones* 
of Springfield, Mass. 

In 1755 he was centinel in Capt. Elijah Williams's company of 
Deerfield, Mass., in the Crown Point Expedition (Mass. Archives ; 
and History of Northfield, p. 292) ; and in 1756 was centinel in the 
command of Capt. Nathan Willard at Fort Dummer (Mass. Ar- 
chives). He died between 1784 and 1793, the exact time is not 
recorded. 

Children : 

i. LuciNDA,* m. Benjamin Pierce. 

ii. Martha, or Patty, m. in Dummerston, Vt., Dec, 1772, Daniel 
Lester, alias David Bond, an Engiisliraau who deserted the Brit- 
ish, changed liis name to Bond, and joined tlie American army, in 
the Revolution. 

ill. Daniel, b. 31 Mar., 1757. 

iv. Caleb, in 1782, in Capt. Jason Duncan's co., of Dummerston, Vt. 
(Katlian History, p. 143). 

v. Justin, in 1782, in Capt. Jason Duncan's co., of Dummerston, Vt. 
(Kathau History, p. 143) ; removed to Boston, Mass. A Justin 
Sergeant m. in Boston, 15 Jan., 1792, Sally Hall. 

6. Col. Joun^ Sargent {Lieut. Jolin^ Digory^) was born 4 Dec, 1732, 

at Fort Dummer, now Brattleboro', Vt., and married, 16 Dec, 1760, 
Mary, born 18 Oct., 1734, died 10 June, 1822, daughter of Capt. 
John and Martha (Moore) Kathan of Dummerston, Vt., and niece 
of Capt. Fairbank Moore (History of Dummerston, Vt., p. 21; 
Kathau History, p. 13; Register, ante, vol. 57, p. 303 ; and Bel- 
lows Genealogy, p. 13). 

* The compiler is indebted to Thomas Barnes Warren, Esq., of Springfield, Mass., 
for Jones data. 



8 

Col. Sargeant has long had the reputation of having been the 
first Anglo-Saxon child born in Vermont.* 

The following is the inscription upon his gravestone in the so-called 
" Sargent Burying-ground " at West River, Brattleboro' : 

" Sacred to the Memory of | Colo. John Sergeant | Who Departed this 
life July I the 30th 1798 in the fixty fixth j year of his Age | Wlio now 
lies in the fume town | he was Born & was the first perfon | Born in the 
ftate of Vermont | 

lo where the f ilent marble weeps | A friend A father & Husband fleeps 1 
He gave them good Councel | while he had his Breath | Advising them 
to prepair for Death " 

In 1755 he served as centinel in Capt. Elijah Williams's com- 
pany, of Deerfield, Mass., in the Crown Point Expedition (Mass. 
Archives; and History of Northfield, p. 292), and in 1756 was 
centinel under Capt. Nathan Willard at Fort Dummer (Mass. 
Archives) . 

It is recorded that in 1770 he and his brother Lieut. Thomas 
Sargent purchased a tract of 440 acres in the north-east part of 
Brattleboro', the West- River district, upon which they built houses 
and settled (Gazetteer of Windham Co., Vt., pp. 111-12). 

On 26 Feb., 1776, Brattleboro' then being in the County of 
Cumberland, State of New York, he was commissioned as Captain 
of the Brattleboro' company in the First or Lower Regiment ; and 
on 18 Aug., of the same year, he was commissioned Lieut.-Colonel 
of the same regiment. (State Archives of N. Y., Revolution, vol. i., 
p. 277.) In June, 1776, he was one of the committee to prepare 
instructions for the County delegates to the New York Provincial 
Congress (History of Eastern Vermont, p. 258). From 1776 to 
1780 he was a member of the Cumberland County Committee of 
Safety, the committee frequently meeting at his house in Brattle- 
boro' (Records of the Governor and Council of Vt., vol i., pp. 344, 
346, 350-1, 357, 363-5, 36*J). In 1780 he was Colonel of Militia, 
and chairman of the Cumberland County Committee (History of 
Eastern Vermont, pp. 381, 397) ; and in that same year was one of 
the committee appointed to consider a new government for the 
Counties of Cumberland, Gloucester and Grafton (Vt. Hist. Soc. 
Coll., vol. ii., pp. 96-7). In 1780, also, he was made Commissioner of 
Forfeiture (History of Eastern Vermont, p. 764), and was Representa- 
tive for Brattleboro' in the General Assembly; and in 1782, as 
Colonel of the Militia, he called out a force to suppress the disturb- 
ances in what had then become Windham County, between adher- 
ents to New York and Vermont (Records of the Governor and 
Council of Vt., vol. iii., p. 253). 

He sided with New York in the controversies of the time, and 
in 1786 he with others "uniformly loyal to the State of New 
Y'ork " petitioned Gov. George Clinton, of that State, for a patent 
of wild land, they having " not only frequently risqued their Lives 
but expended large sums of money * * in Defence of the said State 
* * , in consequence of which many * * were imprisoned and 
others dispoiled of property to a considerable amount, l)y the Ver- 

• Mr. Mansfield, the histovian of Dummerston, in liis " Kathan History," p. 146, 
states that " here [Fort Dummer] was born within the stoclcade on M.ay 27, 1726, Timo- 
thy Dwight, the father of the future tirst President Dwight of Yale College, and great- 
grandfather of the present (1896) president." 



10. 


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iii. 




iv. 


y 12. 


V. 



monters," but the petition was not granted (Vt. Hist. Soc. Coll 
vol. ii., p. 439). 

Children, perhaps not in order of birth : 

Eli,* b. 5 Mar., 1761; m. Elizabeth Gorton; cl. 24 Apr., 1834. 
Lucy, m. 6 Feb., 1794, Isaac Bigelow; d. Oct., 1822. 
Abigail, m. Robert Wells. 

Mary, or Polly, b. 17G8; d. 2 Feb., 1823; unmarried. 
Levi (twin?), b. 1773; m. 13 July, 1794, Lydia Daby; d. 11 May, 
1850. 
vi. Cata (twin ?) , b. 1773 ; d. 20 July, 1792 ; unmarried. 

7. Lieut. Thojias^ Sargent {Lieut. John^^ Digory^), born 23 Feb., 
1734-5, at Fort Duminer, married, 17 May, 1757, Anne, born 10 
Nov., 1734, died 4 Dec, 1827, daughter of Joseph" (Thomas,^ John,^ 
Rowland^) and Mary Stebbins of North field, Mass. 

He served as centinel under Capt. John Burk in 1756, and in 
the same office under Capt. Israel Williams in 1757 (Mass. Archives). 
His title of Lieutenant is said to have come from later service in 
the militia. 

In 1770 he and his brother Col. John purchased a tract of 440 acres 
in the West River district of Brattleboro', Vt., where they built 
houses, and where he died 19 Apr., 1783. 

Children : 

13. i. Elihu,^ b. 3 May, 1758; m. about 1779, MaryKathan; d. 1 Dec, 

1833. 
ii. Anne, b. 18 June, 1760. 
iii. Thomas (?), b. about 1762. 

14. iv. Calvin, b. 9 Nov., 1763; m. Abigail Miller; d. 7 Jan., 1834. 
V. Electa, b. 31 Oct., 1765. 

vi. Luther, b. 15 May, 1768; d. 22 Oct., 1850. 
vii. Susanna, b. 5 Jan., 1770.. 

15. viii. Erastus, b. 16 Nov., 177i; m. Annas Snow; d. 24 Aug., 1847. 
ix. RoxANNA, b. about 1773. 

X. RoswELL, b. 27 Nov., 1776. 

xi. Harry, b. about 1779; m. 15 Apr., 1802, Phila Albee; lived in 
Brattleboro', Vt. 

8. Abigail^ Sargent {Lieut. Jo/m,'^ Digon/), born 10 Sept., 1737, at 
Fort Dummer, married, 12 Oct., 1758, Capt. Levi^ Ely* (Samuel,* 
Samuel,^ Samuel,^ NathanieP) of West Springfield, Mass., born 
there 26 Nov., 1732, killed in battle with the Indians, on Mohawk 
River, near Utica, N. Y., 19 Oct., 1780. She died 3 Oct., 1812, at 
West Springfield (Ely Records, pp. 30-1 ; for records of children, 
pp. 62-5), 
Children : 

i. LucRETiA Ely, b. 12 May, 1759; m. 18 Dec, 1777, Jacob Miller; d 

19 Jan., 1819. 
ii. HuLDA Ely, b. 11 July 1761; m. 7 Aug., 1783, Col. Roger Cooley 

d. 30 Apr., 1808. 
iii. Jerusha Ely, b. 8 Feb. 1763; m. (1) 20 Feb., 1795, Nathaniel Tay 

lor; m. (2) 5 Feb., 1807, Oliver Bagg; d. 2 Feb., 1836. 
iv. Levi Ely, b. 27 Feb., 1765; ra. 23 Feb., 1792, Thankful Smith; d 

17 Sept., 1819. 
V. George Ely, b. 30 Dec, 1766; m. 13 Apr., 1786, Abigail Flowers 

d. 20 Jan., 1819. 
vi. Daniel Ely, b. 10 Aug., 1768; m. 15 Oct., 1788, Joanna Day; d 

15 Feb., 1822. 

*The compiler is indebted to Thomas Barnes Warren, Esq., of Springfield, Mass., 
for Ely data. 



10 

vii. Sabra Ely, b. 22 Jan., 1770; ni. 9 July, 1789, Josiah Loorais; d. 8 
Mar., 1839. 

viii. Theodosia Ely, b. 4 Feb., 1773; m. (1) 18 Feb., 1795, Horace Day; 
111. (2) 7 Feb., 1822, Simon Brooks; d. 14 Oct., 18G5. 

ix. Solomon Ely, b. 22 Dec, 1774; m. (1) 24 Ana;., 1796, Jerusha Day ; 
ni. (2) 1 Mar., 1799, Roxanna Day; d. 25 Apr., 1828. 

X. Eliiiu Ely, b. G July, 1777; m. in 1797, Grace Rose; d. 23 Feb., 
1839. 

xi. Abigail (or Nabby) Ely, bapt. 7 May, 1780; d. 23 Nov., 1828; un- 
married. 

9. RuFUS^ Sargent {Lieut. John,^ Digorif), born 15 June, 1740, at 
Fort Dummer, married, in 1775, Susannah Houghton, who was born 
in 175<S, and died 10 June, 1704, in Brattlehoro', Vt. Her ancestry 
has not been traced, but she is said to have been related to James 
Houghton, an early settler of Putney, Vt. 

In 1757, Rufus was centinel in the company of Capt. Israel 
Williams, in which his brother Thomas Sargent was also centinel ; 
and in 1758-9 was centinel in the company commanded by Capt. 
John Kathan and transferred to Capt. John Burk (Mass. Archives). 

In 1770 he bought Lot No. 1, containing 100 acres, in the south-east 
corner of Dummerston, Vt., near the Connecticut River ; and in 
1771 he was one of the fourteen signers for a settlers' meeting there, 
where he was chosen the first constable in 1772, and selectman in 
1786-7. He was sergeant in Capt. Josiah Boydeu's company of 
Dummerston men, in Col. William Williams's regiment, in the 
Bennington expedition ; and was in the Dummerston company of 
Capt. Jason Duncan, in the regiment of his brother Col. John Sar- 
gent, in 1782 (Kathan History, p. 143). 

Mr. Mansfield, in an article in the Vermont Phoenix in 1885, 
from which a quotation has already been made, says that Rufus was 
a man of Tory principles, and for that reason could not get a 
deed for all the land promised him by the original proprietors, at 
the time he settled in Dummerston. He died 23 Nov., 1826. 

Children : 

i. John,* b. 8 Dec, 1776 ; m. in Dummerston, 17 Mar., 1802, Ethyliuda, 
dau. of Nathan^ (Daniel,-' Jolm,^ John," John*) and Ruth (Kend- 
rick) Adams of Framinaham and Rutland, Mass., and Dummers- 
ton, Vt. 

ii. Sally, 1). 5 Sept., 1779 ; m. Jonathan Cobleigh (Jonathan, .Jonathan), 
b. 27 May, 1779, of Chesterfleld, N. H. (History of Chesterfield, 
p. 251.) 

iii. Rufus, 1). 9 Jan., 1782; m. Sally Buck, and had a dau. who m. the 
late James H. Sargent of Brattleboro', Vt. 

iv. Susanna, b. 26 x\pr., 1784; m. Isaac Crosby. 

v. William, b. about 1786; m. Lois Buck. 

vi. Justin, b. 10 June, 1789; m. 3 Jane, 1814, Lucretia, b. 31 July, 1795, 
dau. of Jouah and Ann Kuapp of Orange, Mass., and Dummerston, 
Vt. ; had daus. Ophilia^ and Filura (see account under Lieut. 
John, 3). 

vii. James, b. in 1791; m. Polly Buruham. 

viii. Nancy, b. in 1794. 

10. Eli* Sargent {Col John,^ Lieut. John,"^ Digory^), born 5 Mar., 1761, 
was the first white child born in Fulham (now Dummerston), Vt. 
The records obtained concerning him and his family are meagre. 

He married Elizabeth, born 17 Apr., 1762, died 17 Mar., 1857, 
daughter of Benjamin and Elizabeth Gorton of West River, Brattle- 



11 

boro', Vt., and died at West River, Brattleboro', 24 Apr., 1834. 
The following list of children is imperfect. 
Children : 

i. Harriet,^ b. in 1784; d. 6 Oct., 1811; unmarried. 

ii. John, b. 16 June, 1787; d. 6 Jan., 1800. 

iii. Jambs, b. in 1788; d. at Cambridge, Mass., 22 Dec, 1819. 

iv. Elizabeth, or Betsey, b. 1792 ; m. Allen ; d. 29 Jan., 1862. 

V. Eli, b. 12 Jan., 1795; d. 3 Oct., 1873. 

11. LuCT^ Sargent ( Col. John,^ Lieut. John^ Digory^), the date of whose 

birth has not been obtained, married in Dummerston, Vt., 6 Feb., 
1794, as his second wife, Isaac,® b. about 1763, in Cornwallis, Nova 
Scotia, son of Isaac^ (Isaac,^ Isaac,^ Samuel,^ John^) and Mary 
(Chamberlain) Bigelow. 

They lived in Dummerston until 1800, and then moved to north- 
ern Vermont and Canada. In 1811 the family removed to Madison 
Co., 111., settling in Plain City, where he died in July, 1822, and 
she died in Oct. of the same year. (Bigelow Family, pp. 211-2.) 

Children : 

i. Lucy Bigelow, b. 4 Jan., 1795 ; m. James Peasley. 

ii. Polly Bigelow, b. 8 Feb., 1797; m. her cousin Dr. Isaac Bigelow. 

iii. Catharine Bigelow, b. 27 June, 1799 ; m. Henry Neal. 

iv. Abigail Bigelow, b. 30 Nov., 1802; m. Lester Pratt. 

V. John Chamberlain Bigelow, b. 9 Jan., 1804 ; m. Polly Martin. 

vi. Serena Bigelow, b. 18 May, 1806; m. William Neal. 

12. Levi^ Sargent {Col. John^ Lieut. John? Bigory^), horn in 1773, 

married in Dummerston, Vt., 13 July, 1794, Lydia, born 30 Oct., 
1776, in Chesterfield, N. H., daughter of Thomas (Simon, John) 
and Mary (Holt) Daby* of Chesterfield. 

He died at West River, Brattleboro', Vt., 11 May, 1850; and she 
died at the same place, 12 July, 1838. 

Children, perhaps not in order of birth : 

i. Levi,* m. Huldah Bennett. 

ii. WiLLARD, b. in 1804; of Brattleboro', Vt. ; d. 10 June, 1849; m. 28 
Apr., 1830, Lovinia, b. 18 Dec, 1806, d. 18 Feb., 1863, dau. of Na- 
than" (Daniel, ■• John," John,^ John^) and Ruth (Kendricls)* Adams 
of Framingham and Rutland, Mass., and Dummerston, Vt. Chil- 
dren : Lovinia Philena,'^ Nathan Wallace, Helen Sophia, Willard 
Bussell, Caroline Elizabeth, Charles Oscar, 3Iilo Dwight, Madora, 
and Adah Louisa. 

iii. John, m. Fanny Cook. 

iv. Polly, m. Thomas Hadley. 

V. Charlotte, m. Alexander Alexander. 

vi. Lydia E., b. 20 Dec, 1817; d. 26 Feb., 1818. 

13. Elihu* Sargent (Lieut. T/iomas,^ Lieut. John,'^ Digory^), born 3 

May, 1758, married, about 1779, Mary, or Molly, born 8 Oct., 1756, 
daughter of Alexander^ (Capt. John^) and Margaret (Baird) Kathan 
of Dummerston, Vt. 

In 1782 he served in the Dummerston company of Capt. Jason 
Duncan, in Col. John Sargent's regiment (Kathan History, p. 143). 

He died 1 Dec, 1833 ; and she died 18 Dec, 1850 ; both in 
Brattleboro', Vt. (Kathan History, pp. 21, 91.) 

* The compiler is indebted to Hon. Hoyt Henry "Wheeler of Brattleboro', Vt., for 
Daby and Kendrick data. 



12 



Children : 



i. Elihu,* b. 13 Nov., 1780. 

ii. MoiXY, b.22 Nov., 1781. 

iii. Clarissa, b. 19 Apr., 1783; d. 21 Apr., 1821; unmarried. 

iv. Thomas, b. 19 Dec, 1784. 

V. Alexander, b. 8 Mar., 1787. 

vi. Chester, b. 28 Apr., 1789. 

vii. George, b. 28 Jan., 1797 ; m. Rosana Pratt; d. 25 Jan., 1859. 

14. Calvin* Sargent [Lieut. Thomas,^ Lieut. John^- Digory^), born 9 

Nov., 1763, married Abigail, born in 17G9, died 9 Mar., 1849, daugh- 
ter of Capt. Vespasian^ (Isaac,* Isaac,' James,^ James^) and Abigail 
(Church) Miller of Dummerstou, Vt. (History of Dummerston, pp. 
50, 131.) They had nine children, of Avliich an imperfect list is here 
given. He died 7 Jan., 1834, in Brattleboro', Vt. 

Children, perhaps not in order of birth : 

i. Alfred^. 

ii. Olive. 

iii. Lyman, b, 17 Sept., 1798; d. 11 Mar., 1815. 

iv. Electa. 

v. Nelson, settled in Denver, Col. 

vi. Fanny, m. Miller; moved to Bangor, N. Y. 

vii. Cynthia, b. July, 1816; d. 28 Dec, 1817. 

15. Erastus* Sargent {TJeut. Thomqs,^ Lieut. Johi^ Digory^), born 16 

Nov., 1771, married, in 1792, in Chesterfield, N. H., Annas, born in 
Chesterfield, 27 Jan., 1771, daughter of Warren (John) and Anna 
(Harvey) Snow of Leicester, Mass., and Chesterfield, N. H. 

He settled in Chesterfield about 1792, removing about 1815 to 
Dummerston, Vt., and about 1820 to Stukeley, P. Q., where he died 
24 Aug., 1847, and she died 10 Aug., 1836. (History of Chester- 
field, pp. 427-8, 443.) 

Children : 

i. Edwin,'* b. 16 Dec, 1793 ; of Chesterfield, N. H. ; d. 19 Nov., 1871 ; 
m. 27 Dec, 1815, vSally, b. 19 Mar., 1792, d. 24 June, 1869, dau. of 
David (David) and Sarah (French) Stoddard of Chesterfield. Chil- 
dren: Louise,^ Emily, Croyden, John H., David W., Charles, Oscar 
E., and Frederick. 

ii. Diana, m. Stebbins Hosley ; resided in Chesterfield, N. H., and Can- 
ton, N. Y. 

iii. Jason, b. 30 Jan., 1796 ; of Chesterfield, N. H., and Stukeley, P. Q., 
where he d. in 1862; m. Tirzah P. Stebbins, b. 26 Sept., 1803, d. 
in 1860, in P. Q. Children: Abigail P.,'^ Charles J., and Oscar H. 

iv. Edith, b. 1 Nov., 1797; d. 4 July, 1873, in Stukeley, P. Q. ; m. in 
1817, Clark Harris (John, Abner, Abner), born in Chesterfield, N. 
H., 14 May, 1793, who in 1831 removed to Stukeley, P. Q., where 
he d. 18 Mar., 1867; seven children (History of Chesterfield, p. 
333). 

V. Warren, m. in Dummerston, Vt., Mercy Butler. 

vi. Angeline, m. Sewell Fisk ; d. in P. Q. 

vii. Alanson, m. Rosamond Cleveland ; d. in P. Q. 



Register Re-prints, Series A, No. 7. 



Sargent JTamilg 

OF 

DUMMERSTON AND 
BRATTLEBORO', VT. 



